is there a connection between the latest downed boeing 737 max 8 jet in ethiopia that took 157 lives and another that went down in october? >> the whole issue of the wall, border security is of paramount importance. we have a crisis down there. i think the president has made that case very effectively. >> today the white house will begin a full core press to secure $8.6 billion in new funding to build 722 miles of new wall. >> but are we focusing on the right border? our kerry sanders says think again, and look north. >> a selfie with the jaguar. how one person took the risk and paid a serious price.

>> we do not hold the jaguar responsible for what happened, and it has been concluded that the injuries were caused due to human error. >> new hope this morning for the millions of people around the world fighting sickle cell disease. >> and did you happen to catch this sucker punch over the weekend? "early today" starts right now. >> good to be with you this monday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm marlie hall. families across 35 countries are looking for answers after the crash of an ethiopian airlines plane. there were no survivors after the flight headed for kenya's capital went down shortly after take off in ethiopia. this is the second accident in less than six months involving a newer model of boeing jet which led china to order their airlines to ground these planes. for the latest let's go now to nbc's janice mackie frayer who is in beijing. janice, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. too little is known right now to determine what caused this crash, but boeing facing some very hard questions today after

the second crash in just six months of this new type of aircraft, the boeing 737 max 8. in the case of the ethiopian airlines flight, we know that it had trouble shortly after take off. its vertical speed was apparently unstable. the pilot radioed to return, but then communication was lost and the plane crashed just six minutes after take off, killing 157 people. the u.s. national transportation safety board as well as a team from boeing are part of the investigation, and it's likely to focus on an automated system designed to keep the aircraft from stalling. this was a new feature of the 737 max, but it was one that pilots apparently struggled with. that was learned as part of the investigation into the crash of a lion air flight in indonesia last october. now, it isn't clear whether that anti-stalling system is a factor here, but china is not waiting for answers. it has ordered all 737 max aircraft to be ground ed here by

6:00 p.m. local time, and that's significant because of the 350 planes, the 737 max that are in use in the world, about a third of them are here in china. marlie? >> janice, thank you. >> well, as you just heard, boeing is facing heightened scrutiny over safety. the second deadly caratachrash involving their plane has a lot of people worried. tom costello is covering the crash for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is a brand-new state of the art plane but we don't know whether these two crashes are related. pier we're talking about the lion air crash in indonesia. investigators believe the on board system fed bad data. sensing a stall, the computer pushed the nose down but may have not known they were fighting an automated system

called mcas that they didn't know about. they should have known how to disengage the system. so the priority in ethiopia now is to find the plane's black boxes, listen to the cockpit voice recorder and analyze the flight data recorder. are there similarities with the lion air crash, or maybe something else, like an on-board explosion or fire? maybe a problem with an engine or electrical or hydraulic issue, or even a computer failure. it is a high priority because the 737 max is one of the best-selling planes in the world right now. 350 and many more on the way. american, southwest and air canada all fly it. so far none of them have reported any problems with the plane, but now every airline in the world is on high alert. frances? >> reason for concern there. tom, thank you. >> president trump is launching another salvo in the border battle today making a multi billion dollar request for 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 tracee pots joins us with the latest. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: looks like we're in a foot with the congress, this morning. good morning. a senior official says the president's budget being unveiled in just a few hours will seek $8.6 billion for the wall and 750 billion for defense. that's an increase, but cutting 5% on everything else, almost everything else. that wall money is double what the president's already allocated and six times when congress approved to end the shutdown. also, the president expected to ask to make his tax cuts permanent, but bottom line, this is setting up a new fight over the wall. >> so there is going to be another budget fight over the wall? >> well, i suppose there will be. i would just say that 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: now, we have already seen the statement from democrats. chuck schumer and nancy pelosi, the top democrats in congress in a joint statement saying the same thing will repeat itself at the tries it again, talking about the president and the wall. we hope he learned his lesson. meantime, the senate expected to reject the president's national emergency declaration to allow military funds to build that wall. the president will veto, send it right back to congress where, marlie, they are not expected to have the votes to override that. that senate vote could happen this week. >> tracie, thank you. >> nearly two weeks after the north korea summit collapsed, new concerns this morning that the country will restart its nuclear weapons testing. satellite imagery suggests a rocket launch facilities, once again operational. and after talks fell apart between president trump and north korean leader kim jong-un, the rest of us are left

wondering what's next. nbc's kelly o'donnell has the details. >> reporter: in north korea, millions compelled to cast ballots, not to choose, but instead to endorse a slate of state-sanctioned legislators for parliament as a national celebration. for the kim jong-un regime, appearances matter. and so do new commercial satellite images that raise new concerns about whether north korea is restoring missile facilities or readying to launch a rocket. >> i don't really want to get into speculation about what they're doing. >> reporter: but experts are trying to assess the risks. >> we don't know what this means. it could be for a launch. it could be just for activities. the point is it is signalling something. >> reporter: for president trump, who has invested u.s. credibility in his personal relationship with kim jong-un, the north korean leader is at the very least testing patience.

>> i inherited a mess with north korea, and right now you have no testing, you have no nothing. let's see what happens. but i would be very disappointed if i saw testing. >> reporter: that frustration aggravated by the failure to reach an agreement with kim to denuclearize while in hanoi. republican liz cheney said president trump was right to walk away from a bad deal, but any negotiation is perilous. >> i would say republicans and democrats got taken by him. iz hope this president won't. >> that was kelly o'donnell reporting. >> now to a frightening attack at a zoo in arizona that happened as a woman was trying to take a selfie with a jaguar. nbc's morgan cheskey has the story and the warning. some viewers may find images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: on the ground and in shock, video captures 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 a selfie. >> oh, my god, i cannot believe that just happened. >> we do not hold the jaguar responsible for what happened, and it has been concluded that the injuries were caused due to human error. >> reporter: the zoo says the woman is now the second person the cat's 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 whether they plan to change any of their barrier policies going forward. marlie? >> all right, morgan, thank you. >> communities across the south are cleaning up after another round of tornadoes. 14 twisters were confirmed from texas to tennessee, causing widespread damage and injuries. this dramatic video, debris flying and power lines was captured in louisiana. this comes after 23 people were killed by tornadoes in alabama. a tornado ripped through arkansas over six miles on saturday according to the national weather service. it expanded to around 150 yards wide and reached peak winds of 105 miles per hour. neighbors came to the rescue of two small dogs in polaski county, arkansas, after the pup's owners were injured by the storm and sent to the hospital. they found the pets buried in

debris. >> hopefully some less extreme weather coming our way, bill karins. >> good morning. at least today. march is living up to its reputation with severe weather and some areas getting heavy snow. we're going to do that again this week, but not today. a little light rain in areas of texas, even thunderstorms this morning between abilene and dallas. by the time we get to wednesday big storm in the middle of the country, heavy snoi in the rockies, especially colorado pushing into nebraska, portions of south dakota. there will be a line of thunderstorms tuesday night, into areas of the deep south by wednesday afternoon. then it weakens the storm system by the time we get to thursday and friday with light rain on the east coast. looks like a quiet travel day heading intoext nul spring break weather. look at florida today in the

mid-'80s. we are going to watch those warm temperatures. they are really expanding by the end of the week. >> we are ready for it. weechlt been waiting. thank you, bill. >> thanksing ibm. an english soccer match turned into a scary scene when a fan attacked a player. it happened during sunday's second city derby between aston villa and birmingham city. 9 minutes into the match, a birmingham fan ran onto the pitch and charged at midfielder jack, punching him in the head. the fan was quickly taken down by security and arrested. villa wasn't injured and went be on to score the game winning goal. >> still to come, dna test company 23 and me will add a potentially lifesaving feature. plus how much would you pay for one of america's most iconic buildings? 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?

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live with diabetes, most have type 2. the company hopes their approach will inspire healthy life-style changes, but doctors question how effective it will be for users in making healthier choices. >> the owners of the chrysler building have reached a deal to sell the new york landmark for a fraction of its previous sale price. the famous sky scraper sold for about $150 million to the new york real estate company rfr holding. the sum is 81% less than the 800 million the building sold for in 2008 to an abu dhabi investment fund. >> well, there has been so much focus on the southern border, the one the united states shares with mexico, but now u.s. officials are paying more attention to the country's other border with canada. nbc news obtained exclusive new data showing a spike in the number of illegal crossings into the u.s. from canada. nbc's kerry sanders reports from the forgotten border. >> reporter: it's beautiful, rugged and foreboding.

our forgotten northern border. it's here in vermont where we joined u.s. customs and border protection to best understand why an increasing number of migrants come to canada to enter the u.s. illegally. all mexican nationals need is a $300 airline ticket and a $7 canadian entry fee. does canada make things more difficult for you because it's so simple for somebody from mexico to fly to canada without the need of a visa? >> it's definitely an area that can be exploited. >> reporter: while the raw numbers are small compared to the southern border, new government statistics illustrate a trend. a 91% increase in the number of undocumented migrants captured along the u.s./canada border, a 232% increase on the icy treacherous vermont quebec border. >> as we sit out here today, it's about l degrees rig it's about 8 degrees and we have a lot of snow. this is not favorable conditions

for anybody to be walking around out here in the middle of the night. >> reporter: yet people try it? >> they absolutely try it. >> reporter: the northern border is twice the length of the southern border. agents up here rely heavily on technology, like cameras feeding live pictures into command centers. a camera monitors this border crossing from canada into the united states, but agents say some of their best surveillance comes from residents who call when they see something that just doesn't look right. >> you can spot people that don't look like the normal people you see. >> reporter: what about a need for a wall? >> that is for somebody above my pay grade to decide. >> reporter: the forgotten border for some, now an illegal gateway into the united states. kerry sanders, nbc news, derby line, vermont. >> just ahead, a billionaire takes or billionaire new yorker takes pettiness to new heights after his divorce. this you've got to see. and a marvelous debut, the

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fast forwarding today, 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. it raked in $455 million globally, and 153 million in north america. captain marvel herself, bree

larson, surprised theater goers over the weekend with popcorn and meeting fans. i'm sure a lot of people had to do a double take when she was walking in. they knew her, they knew that was their hero right there. >> yes, exciting stuff. they say all is fair in love and war, but a new york real estate mogul is taking that motto to a whole new level. henry maklow put up a towering 40 foot billboard to proclaim his love to his new wife following a bitter divorce. they dubbed it the height of spite. on the side of 432 park avenue which is the second tallest building in the big apple. it is owned, in part, by maklow. talk about a grand gesture. when you own a sky scraper you can do that. >> where certain floors and properties where you're fighting with your ex-wife. kind of a little swipe to his ex there by putting that picture up there. still ahead, new hope in the fight against sickle cell disease. meet the latest best in show. you're watching "early today." dealing with psoriatic arthritis pain

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there is new hope for the millions of people around the world fighting sickle cell disease. it's a painful and sometimes deadly disorder, but now an experimental treatment is providing fresh hope for a cure. nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres met one young man who took part in a groundbreaking clinical trial. >> reporter: manny johnson adores his kid brother aden. they're years apart but share the same debilitating disease, sickle cell. it affects mostly african americans. red blood cells become distorted and sticky, blocking vessels and preventing vital oxygen supply to tissues.

the only cure, say bone marrow transplant. but instead, most are temporarily treated with medications and some, like manny, with blood transfusions. at age 21, he's had more than 200. how often would you do that? >> once a month. >> reporter: once a month? >> yes. >> reporter: for your whole life? >> whole life. >> reporter: but now manny is disease free, thanks to a groundbreaking clinical trial at dana far ber boston children's hospital. so they told you it's an experimental procedure. you could die from, and it might even not work. but you're still willing to do it. why? >> well, my little brother was born and he has sickle cell. i took more initiative so that when he gets old enough, he wouldn't have to go through the experiences i went through. >> reporter: here's how it works. blood stem cells are removed from the patient and undergo gene therapy in the lab. those altered stem cells are put back in the patient. this then lets the body produce healthy blood selds that won't

distort into the sickle shape. this makes manny's blood flow like anyone else's. you went with inter mingling cells after treatment. >> this is a picture from after gene therapy and there are no visible sickled cells. >> reporter: this is just a preliminary clinical trial, but doctors are encouraged it could one day cure circle cell disease before symptoms start, usually around four months old. >> the hope is that we'll be able to eventually treat young children with the disease before they develop any symptoms and prevent them from having sickle cell disease. >> reporter: for manny and his family, it's the beginning of a new life. and the possibility of a better one without pain for aden. dr. john torres, nbc news, boston. >> well, this morning there is a new top dog. dylan the villain was crowned best in show at this year's dog show in england sunday. dylan is a black, white and brown papillon.

he's known for getting into mischief. he looks mischiefous, but very cute. >> sweetest villain. >> thanks for waking up with it.

ad lib live picture - transamerica b welcome to monday morning. yeah! taking a live look outside san francisco, at least that's the nice way to start our morning looking at the transamerica pyramid in the distance there. i hope you're coming off a great weekend. good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. monday morning, are the showers gone? >> the showers are gone. >> woo! >> it did not want to get out of here without a bang yesterday. >> no kidding! >> we had some crazy weather. we are starting out with very cold temperatures, in the upper 30s for the north bay and valleys, half moon bay at 39 degrees. we have clouds over the south bay. santar