new details this morning about what brought down a new boeing jumbo jet taking the lives of all 157 people on board. >> new day, new budget, and a new request from president trump for billions to fund the border wall, but is this request already d.o.a.? >> we'll take you to the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, where civil war has left the country in ruins and kids are forced to become soldiers. >> it was a weekend filled with wild weather, including tornadoes hitting five states and heavy snow continuing its march onslaught. >> and bree larson's captain marvel ruled the box office abroad to the tune of a half

billion dollar opening weekend. "early today" starts right now. >> good to be with you on this monday morning. i'm frances rivera. and i'm marlie hall. an ethiopian airlines crash is causing grief around the globe. the passengers came from at least 35 countries, and not one of the 157 people on board survived. after the brand-new boeing 737 max 8 suddenly went down. china ordered all of the country's airlines to temporarily ground every model of that plane. this is the second time in six months that this type of aircraft has been involved in a devastating crash. and now investigators are wor working to answer a lot of questions. for more with go to nbc's keir simmons. >> reporter: a devastating scene, the aircraft ripped apart. pieces of the plane hahn a crash site the size of a foot ball field. the point of impact, a huge crater. bodies and belong beings strewn across the ethiopian country side. among them, a lone shoe.

and napkins from the airline, grief stricken family are mourning theary line. among them 8 were americans. flight et 302 lost contact just six minutes after take off at 8:44 a.m. local time. crashing about 30 miles from the airport. the cause still unclear, though data from flight radar 24 showed the vertical speed whether the plane was climbing or descending was unstable after take off. >> it is one of the safest airlines in the world. at this stage we cannot rule out anything. >> reporter: the boeing 737 max 8 is the same model involved in the indonesian lion air jet crash in october which also went down shortly after take off from jakarta, killing 189 people. boeing said it was sending a technical team to work with ethiopian and u.s. transport authority. in nairobi, this passenger was lucky to be alive after missing

the doomed flight. >> it was a delay from dubai, so i missed the first flight. so when i reached here and they told me to take the second flight. >> reporter: relatives from around the world wait for news including one father said to have lost his wife and two children. keir simmons, nbc news, london. >> communities across the south are cleaning up after another round of tornadoes. ten reported twisters hit five states this weekend causing widespread damage and the injuries. a tornado ripped through arkansas on saturday for over six miles according to the national weather service. it expanded to around 150 yards wide and reached peak winds of 105 miles per hour. for more let's go to nbc's steve pettersson who visited the storm zone. >> it's coming right at us. >> reporter: in the spectrum of things southerners needed to see this weekend, this was dead last. one week after the worst outbreak of tornadoes in years

blasted the south, killing 23 in alabama. saturday, twisters raged again. ten were reported from texas to tennessee, mississippi to louisiana where four were spotted causing widespread damage. >> i've been here off and on for 70, 81 years and i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: in arkansas, three touched down. one destroying this home, injury two inside. both expected to recover. i don't even know what i'm looking at. everything is gone. >> here's the beams, the red iron beams. it just more or less collapsed onto everything. >> reporter: across town, gary downs is getting what's important after his soybean farms storage shop was shredded. >> it won't take long to redo it. we'll be right back where we were. >> reporter: now clean-up. families sifting through the wreckage, searching for anything that could be salvageable.

the damage here widespread, but they're thankful it wasn't far worse. perspective from the heart land. >> won't even know what happened a few months from now. >> reporter: after so much lost. steve patterson, nbc news, scott, arkansas. >> now to that frightening jaguar attack in arizona, this morning the zoo where a woman was viciously clawed while trying to take a selfie, assures guests the animal will not be put down. but a lot of questions still remain unanswered. nbc's morgan cheskey has the story under warning some viewers may find images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: on the ground, and in shock, video captured the moment after a jaguar attack at a phoenix zoo. the wild cat just feet away, behind the barrier firefighters say the woman ignored while attempting to take selfie. >> oh, my god, i cannot believe

what happened. >> we do not hold the jaguar responsible for what happened. the injuries were caused due to human error. >> reporter: the zoo says the woman is now the second person the cat attacked after breaking rules. numbers show selfie incidents are on the rise from 2011 to 2017, 259 people died while attempting to take selfies. in october, a couple fell to their deaths at yosemite national park during a trip they shared on instagram. and in 2017, a close call for teens at new york's central park when an icy pond gave way mid selfie. in arizona, the woman's injuries aren't life-threatening. zoo officials say she even returned to apologize. >> you do cross over the barrier, you're not only jeopardizing your own safety, but you're jeopardizing the safety of the other guests. >> reporter: a reminder of the fine line between selfie and safety. and this morning the zoo is stressing they do not hold sarah, the jaguar, accountable for that attack. however, they have yet to say if they plan to change any of their

barrier policies going forward. marlie? >> all right, morgan, thank you. >> president trump is launching another salvo in the border battle today making a multi billion dollar request for a wall funding. he'll submit his 2020 budget proposal to congress this morning, setting the stage for another shutdown showdown. according to white house officials the president's proposal will seek nearly $9 billion for the wall, while slashing trillions in spending for domestic programs. nbc's jennifer johnson has more. >> reporter: president trump ramping up the border wall battle again in his 2020 budget to be released monday, the president will ask for another $8.6 billion for the wall. the white house forging ahead to build 722 miles of barrier. >> the whole issue of the wall and border security is of paramount importance. we have a crisis down there. i think the president has made that case very effectively. >> reporter: the budget has to be funded before october 1st or the government could shutdown

again. democratic leaders say the president's funding plan could already be dead on arrival. house speaker a nancy pelosi and senate minority leader chuck schumer warning in a statement sunday the same thing will repeat had itself if he tries again. we hope he learned his lesson. the last shutdown cost the u.s. economy $11 billion. the funding increase for the wall comes as the senate this week is likely to join the house in rejecting the president's emergency declaration. even some republicans say there is a better approach. >> you can put what i call the smart wall along the border on all 2000 miles in less than a year and gain operational control of the border. >> reporter: the president's proposed budget includes stiff cuts to domestic, antipoverty, and environmental protection programs. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. >> old man winter is still going strong, especially in the minnesota area. take a look at this. this is video of a winter storm covering a neighborhood in the twin cities over the weekend. the minneapolis region declared a snow emergency because of the

storm. the city and surrounding areas received up to 6 inches of wintry mix of snow and rain covered many cars and made streets barely visible. >> we'll see if they're able to thaw out and get a built of a break. bill, good morning. >> we deserve it. we saw the severe weather earlier, the snow was a huge problem from wyoming all the way through minnesota over the weekend. and now we're getting a nice little calm week. things are starting to change. things are starting to warm up. we're going to do a lot of snow melting this week. rain showers stay on the southern half of the country. snow he exiting northern new england. big storm in the middle of the country. this is going to pump the warm air out of it. thunderstorms will be a problem wednesday -- even into wednesday through the southeast. by the time we get to friday a quiet 40s to low 350s.

there's some rainy weather from dallas to shreveport down through alabama this afternoon. we are going to see warmer temperatures. we'll talk about that coming up. that makes everyone -- >> hoo ra, been waiting. >> thanks, bill. just ahead, "game of thrones" draws blood for a good cause. and putting an outdated ban on ice. the young boy who legalized snowball fights at his hometown has his first legal battle. you're watching "early today." so, you're open all day, every day. that's what 24/7 means, sugar. kind of like how you get 24/7 access to licensed agents with geico. hmm? yeah, you just go online, or give them a call anytime. you don't say. yep. now what will it take to get 24/7 access to that lemon meringue pie? pie! pie's coming! that's what it takes, baby. geico®. great service from licensed agents, 24/7. my dbut now, i take used tometamucil every day.sh

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one of those moments you say only in new york city. >> see crazy things on subways. teens with the red cross for the biggest blood drive this side of westerns, the hbo hit series went all out with a lavish set at the south by southwest festival in austin inviting fans to bleed for the throne. the interactive experience included dozens of actors including a full choir singing the show's theme song. donors could kneel before the thrown and pledge to give blood for a chance to win a trip to the show's premiere final season. the drive collected thousands of donations over the weekend. that's brilliant. i'm sure fans were over the top for that. >> absolutely. you made remember a few months ago when a little boy spoke up about what he felt was an outdated ban. >> i'm here today to hopefully change the law about throwing snow balls. kids want to have snowball fights without breaking the law. >> 9-year-old dane best captured national attention when he went to a town hall meeting and got

the law changed. and now dane has gotten to throw his first legal snowball in the town of severance, colorado. he took on his little brother and some friends in a completely law-abiding battle. that looks like a very satisfying throw of the snowball. >> what a lesson, civics, gee right there, watch out for that guy, capitol hill. still ahead, inside the most dangerous place on earth for children, we'll shed light on the struggle to save kids forced to become soldiers.

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the mexican volcano exploded in a fiery nighttime eruption over the weekend. the volcano spewed gases, ash and debris into the air and down its slopes. people in nearby towns were told to cover their mouths and noses with a damp cloth. >> now to an nbc news exclusive. we take you to the most dangerous place in the world to be a chilly, the central african republic. years of civil war left the country in ruins and children have been forced to become soldiers. there is a desperate effort to bring them to safety. cynthia mcfadden has traveled to the area and shares the crisis. >> reporter: she was 11 years old when her father was murdered and she was abducted by an armed group. >> translator: the first day i was terrified. we were given knives. it was the first time i ever saw

an armed group. >> reporter: you were really a prisoner. she is from the central african republic where six years of fierce fighting between muslim rebels and christian militias have left the nation in ruins. 1 1/2 million children are at risk of starvation, and tens of thousands of them are forced to become soldiers. we first saw her two years ago when she bravely took the stage at the u.n. >> translator: i know what it's like to be alone, to be hurt and to lose my childhood. >> reporter: we met up with her on the outskirts of the country's capital. she tells us the memories still haunt her. were you asked to carry a weapon, a gun or a knife? >> translator: i was given a machete and they wanted us to go and fight, but i didn't want to use t. >> reporter: were you forced to use it? >> translator: yes. >> reporter: this is t >> this is the most dangerous

place in the world for children. >> reporter: unicef is on the front lines for the children fighting to save children here. we travel in with the u.s. c.e.o. carol stern. >> two of every three children in this country are in need of humanitarian assistance right now. >> reporter: including a group of recently released child soldiers. she takes us to meet them at a rehabilitation camp sponsored by unicef. >> you hear the horrific stories of the beginning of their life. they have lost their family members to rebel groups. >> reporter: for their protection we agreed not to show their faces. they have not yet gone through the program and are still easy prey for the armed groups. this is a hard question to ask and if you don't want to answer it, don't. but what were you asked to do? >> translator: the most difficult thing was about having to go and take people and sometimes asking us to kill those people or sometimes beat them up. >> reporter: did you feel what you were doing was wrong? >> translator: he was just obeying orders. >> reporter: did you know this wasn't your fault, right? you were a child.

>> translator: he says, i know, but i had to do it to protect myself. >> reporter: bridget was a soldier for three years until something she heard gave her hope. >> translator: she heard that unicef was willing to take the kids away from the armed groups. >> reporter: do you worry about the other kids who were left behind? >> translator: she's worried. she wants them to be out. >> reporter: in fact, there are several thousand children fighting with the 14 armed groups that control this country. unicef tells us it costs about $1,400 to rehabilitate each child, and that there are thousands more children waiting to be rescued and could be, but there isn't the money to do it. >> thlearning to forgive themselves was the hardest part about coming back. but their desire to do so, their understanding that they are young and they have a life in front of them, and they can and will be more is remarkable. >> reporter: including graciela who is 17 now. she is struggling to go to school, as bus fare is hard to come by. in a recent rebel attack, the

little home she shares with her sister was burned down. but even after all that, she still has dreams. you've now been out for a few years. you've gone through the unicef program. what do you want to be when you graduate from school? >> translator: first i want to study computing. and when i'm done, i want to go and work with unicef because eventually it's unicef that got me out of this and now i want to work with them. >> reporter: you want to pay back? cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, the central african republic. >> well, what a bright future ahead for her and it's realistic now. and also some more good news to share. since cynthia reports from the central african republic began airing last week, unicef tells nbc news people have donated 1 1/2 million dollars for their lifesaving efforts to help and protect children. if you want to help visit nbcnews.com. >> well, still ahead, a sin chronized swim team winning competitions and the gratitude

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welcome back. swimming can be great exercise and physical therapy. and a group of seniors here in new york are showing it can do a lot more than that. here's nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: when the harlem honeys and bears hit the pool, they come together as one, mostly african-american sin chronized team, all 55 and older. united by a love of swimming and dance. >> okay, you three -- >> reporter: their coach the last 23 years, oliver pute, has little time for fun and games. >> break, break, break. >> reporter: you're really tough with them. >> but they know, they understand that all is coming from love. >> down.

up. >> reporter: the reigning champs of their sport in new york, the team is now celebrating its 40th anniversary and better health and well-being. >> without swimming, i would be in the doctor's office frequently. >> reporter: 96-year-old la theis, the most senior member started swimming at age 64. >> i try to get in the pool five days a week. >> reporter: the water is healing? >> yes, it's the best therapy in the world. >> reporter: monica hale, team captain, agrees. >> this was given to us as therapy. it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened. you realize your body could move in ways you never thought it could. >> reporter: monica and one of the few bears on the team make it look easy. so i gave it a try. this is fun. >> it's a lot of work on the arms. >> reporter: when they do it, it's an aquatic ballet. the team also connects with the community, teaching kids how to swim.

>> 1, 2, 3, breathe. just your neck. >> reporter: studies show 70% of african americans can't, and black children drown more frequently than other children. but most days you'll find the honeys and bears perfecting their moves, swimming and dancing in the water. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> that looks like so much fun. >> so many great things about that program, and way to go lattice at 96, love that all around. captain marvel dominated at the box office this weekend. the superhero pick scored the biggest world opening of all-time for a female funded film. raking in 455 million globally and 153 million in north america. captain marvel herself bree larson surprised theater goers over the weekend passing out popcorn and also meeting fans. >> how cool is that for the star of the film to show up at your theater. >> i know. anything can happen. that's the way right there, especially when it comes to superheroes, in real life for the fans. thanks for watching "early

today." i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm marlie hall. get your morning news updates on "early today's" instagram. the news continues right here on nbc.

this morning, swift action being taken in the wake of a second boeing 737 max 8 aircraft going down. investigators piece together what went wrong. u.s. military continue to back aggressive attacks and air strikes on the last isis strong hold. gas prices are on the rise up six cents a gallon. the sign of things to come? we'll check in with our cnbc partners for answers. a woman seriously injured tries to snap a selfie with a jaguar at an arizona zoo. . and