i just want to tell you that america is the greatest place on earth. the greatest place on earth. >> an exuberant president trump reacting to his attorney general's summary of mueller report. we've got the details and we'll tell you what happens next. to the incredible rescu at sea. high winds rocking a massive cruise ship and the aerial rescues from a ship with more than 1,300 passengers on board. the latest trend that combines jogging and picking up garbage as you run. and it's catching on. plus number one survives a nail biter. "early today" starts >> good morning. i'm marlie hall. >> good to be with you this monday. after nearly two years we

finally have answers from the russia probe. for the past 22 months special counsel's robert mueller's investigation captured the attention of the country. a source of intrigue for breathless debates on tv and around our dinner tables. the scope of the investigation was unparalleled with 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and 500 witnesses interviewed. now after poring over mueller's final report, attorney general william barr has delivered his principal conclusions. the special counsel found the trump campaign did not help the russians meddle in the election. as for whether mr. trump obstructed justice, the report did not conclude the president committed a crime, but it also does not exonerate him. sum s looked at the now-familiar actions by the president to see if they justice. that would include the firing of the fbi director, james comey. president trump told lester that he fired comey because of the

russia meddling investigation. >> wheecided thi t with trump and russia is a made-up story. >> reporter: other public actions include comey's claim that the president asked the fbi to go easy on michael flynn. and there was the president's constant criticism of mueller himself. but barr's letter says mueller did not draw a conclusion one way or the other about whether any of that amounted to obstruction. mueller's report quote does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. barr says he and the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein, concluded that conduct threshold of a crime. part of their reason, they said, is they found no other crime the president would have been trying to cover up. as for mueller's central assignment the letter says the special counsel did not find that the trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with the russians to interfere in the election. no involvement, mueller concluded, with the russian-led hacking into democratic computers or the phony social

media accounts set up by russian intelligence to spread disinformation. that's despite, the report says, multiple offers from russia-affiliated individuals to assist the trump campaign. the letter also discloses new details about the sheer scope of mueller's investigation, issuing an astonishing 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and interviewing 500 separate witnesses. barr says he intends to release more information about the mueller report but will need mueller's help in determining what cannot be disclosed because of federal laws governing grand jury secrecy. barr's letter says he'll also need to withhold any information in the mueller report that might affect investigations currently under way. he doesn't say which ones. so there's no way to know now how much longer we'll have to wait before more information is revealed. frances? >> all right that may mean more waiting. pete, thank you. president trump and his team are treating the mueller report as a major victory. sources tell nbc news the mood on air force one was jubilant

during their flight back from a weekend of golf at mar-a-lago. and on twitter the president claimed total exoneration but top democrats say, not so fast. >> it is unconscionable that president trump would try to spin the special counsel's findings as if his conduct was remotely acceptable. given these questions, it is imperative that the attorney general release the full report and underlying evidence. the attorney general's comments make it clear that congress must step in to get the truth and provide full transparency to the american people. >> republicans echoed the president, cheering the results of the investigation. >> he had 500 witnesses. there has never been a more thorough in-depth research we've had from the american government, and without a shadow of doubt, it said no collusion. this should end the debate once and for all and america should

come first. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on the response from the white house. >> reporter: aides tell us the president's first words to them, "this is very, very good." we're told a celebratory mood on air force one as he returned to washington. the president, who has long branded the mueller investigation dericeively as a witch hunt, is embracing its conclusions as vindication. so after a couple of days of real unusual restraint where he's said nothing, he came before cameras and made a big pronouncement. >> it was a complete and total exoneration. it's a shame that our country had to go through this. to be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this for beforet began . and hopefully somebody's going to look at the other side. this was an illegal takedown that failed.

>> reporter: the president will be open to criticism there because he's overstating the issue of exoneration and the legality of the investigation. that will be played out. but his initial comments on what we expect now is really a roadmap for his own re-election, portraying himself as somehow wronged by this process, saying his adversary should be pursued. his own legal team tells me this is a better result than they had expected. when reporters asked the president if the full mueller report should still be made public as he said recently, he did not respond to those questions. >> that was kelly o'donnell reporting. now to norway where hundreds of cruise passengers made it back to shore after their ship experienced engine failure in stormy waters. at least 27 people were hospitalized and one person was in critical condition. the viking sky cruise line said 20 peopleereat from there fractes and cuts and some were suffering from trauma.

>> reporter: safe at last. their nightmare at sea finally over. more than 24 hours after their ship put out a mayday call, the passengers on board the viking sky have now reached safety. the cruise ship was headed up the western coast of norway on saturday when it lost engine power, issuing a distress call just after 2:00 p.m. local time. rough waves turned furniture into projectiles, injuring some passengers. >> last 24 hours, it's very, very scary. very frightening. the best word i suppose is surreal. >> big rogue wave crashed through, smashed through a window and the bulkhead support, and it felt like the "titanic." >> reporter: the extreme weather made lifeboats too dangerous. instead, more than 475 people were airlifted off by helicopter one by one. >> i think the roughest part was

getting into the helicopter. once we got all the way up. but anyway, the professional crew, helicopter crew, was awesome. >> reporter: that still left some 900 others on board as tugboats pulled the "viking sky" into a nearby harbor. among them about 600 u.s. citizens now being assisted by the american embassy in norway after their dream vacation turned into a rescue operation. sarah harman, nbc news, london. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is cutting his washington trip short with president trump. this after a rocket struck a house in central israel, wounding at least seven people. the rocket was fired from the gaza strip. so far, nobody has claimed responsibility for the netanyah respond forcefully. the embattled israeli prime minister is facing a new wave of corruption allegations, one involving the improperly authorized sale of german

submarines to egypt. he's also been indicted on bribery and other corruptioncha. netanyahu crews are continuing to secure the deer park plant in texas, this a week after a fire laugh vaned 11 tanks with hazardous chemical products inside. the blaze has created a frenzy for houston-area residents concerned over air quality. tammy leitner has the latest details. >> reporter: at community meetings -- >> how do you actually prove -- >> reporter: so many on edge. >> what's in the air, what's in our bodies -- >> reporter: hundreds of nervous residents hoping for answers. >> my biggest concern is the future, what's going to happen. >> reporter: one week after this massive fire at the houston-area chemical plant, the thick smoke is finally gone. but worry remains. meanwhile, county officials say there's low health risk to the community and the company says it's working hard to contain the hazardous mess at the plant and in nearby waterways. >> we've significantly reduced

the risk impact and the risk profile inside of that tank farm. >> reporter: it's been a rough week in deer park. residents wers were asked to sh in place. fears the air might not be safe to breathe. when a new fire started friday and a wall collapsed, hazardous materials spilled into the houston ship channel. >> we've got pockets of oil that are collecting in other locations across the two-mile span. >> reporter: officials continue monitoring the air for chemicals that can cause dizziness, headaches, and breathing problems. some residents visiting local health clinics this week. and while the cleanup is progressing, some say it's not fast enough. tammy leitner, nbc news. two massive pileups in california over the weekend. at least 30 vehicles were involved in a chain reaction crash on a foggy freeway in gorman about 68 miles north of los injured, including an infant that's in critical condition.

and in clairmont, california, east of l.a., another massive pileup killed one person and sent critical condition. it is the start of a new week. let's see how we're checking in weather-wise with meteorologist bill karins. >> looks like a pretty quiet, slow start to the week. the end of the week, a little bit of concern we'll talk about in a second. we'll have rain moving through the southeast today. maybe an isolated severe thunderstorm or two. a new storm coming into the west too with mountain snow and rain. notice tuesday and wednesday, everybody east of the rockies, a beautiful middle of this week. that storm that's in the west on wednesday, by the time we get to friday, that moving into the middle of the country, maybe a little bit of heavy rain. thebili of heavy rain rightve we're going to have to watch for the flood threat as we head towa

showers and thunderstorms. already tracking thunderstorms this morning in east texas and southern portions of arkansas. i think a lot of people are happy for a nice, quiet, no big storm week. >> i like that. all right, bill, thank you. new england patriots tight end rob gronkowski is hanging it up. a fan favorite and super bowl champ announced that he is retiring after nine seasons. he posted the announcement on instagram sunday night saying, "i will be retiring from the game of football today. it's time to move forward, and move forward with a big smile. cheers to all who have been part of this journey." gronkowski ends his career with three super bowl rings and 79 career touchdowns. just ahead, why your morning commute could get more expensive this week. and a brexit breakdown. outrage spills into the streets of london amid growing uncertainty over the deal to leave the eu. sy. whs asearound down dirt, a so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters.

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across the country continue to rise. over the past two weeks the average price at the pump has gone up 16 cents per gallon to $2.66. industry analysts from the lundberg survey reports the increasing cost is linked to refineries performing maintenance ahead of the summer season and the current retail price is the same as it was a year ago. the body of a 29-year-old soldier from lancaster, ohio, killed in afghanistan, was returned to the u.s. on sunday. vice president poens wa in dover, delaware, to help receive the remains of specialist joseph colette. according to the pentagon,cottes will lindsay of colorado would filled friday during a joint operation with theur. over 1 million marched in demanding a secondli a people's vote. [ chanting ]

>> protesters flooded the streets with many criticizing the prime minister's deal. theresa may is coming under pressure to quit after saying she might not put her brexit deal to a third vote. may has until the end of the week to get a deal through parliament. if not, the deadline is april 12th where the uk would have to create a new plan for leaving the eu with a no-deal brexit. american figure skater nathan chen has defended his title. the 19-year-old reigning world championho freshman at a flawless preskate routine to of march madness. 1984. still ahead, a wildkend duke's dreams of the sweet 16 nearly soured. how the number one seed managed to survive against ucf. introducing febreze one; a new range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home to deliver a light, natural-smelling freshness.

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here we go. inbound out to taylor. jones is on him. taylor driving. driving in, banks it up, no. put-back, in and out! and duke survives! >> number one overall seed duke survives a nail biter against ninth ranked university of central florida. big men with a 7'6" against the top player in the nation, zion williamson, at 6'7". next to san jose and the battle between uc urvine and oregon, the number 12 versus 13. both teams on a wicked hot streak. the ducks on a nine-winter, the anteaters winning 17 straight

after upsetting four seed kansas state. this one went to oregon who reaches the sweet 16 as the lowest-ranked team. last year's heavily favored virginia cavaliers are number one again this year, cranked up their stifling defense to take down oklahoma 63-51. columbus, 10th seeded iowa, dow against number two tennessee. the hawkeyes led by jason bohannon managed a massive comeback to tie the game at 71, sending it into overtime. the bulls managed to gain the momentum in ot to finish this one 83-77. for the first time in a decade, all of the number one, two, and three seeds will reach the sweet 16. all right, still ahead, an nba buzzer beater you have got to see. plus the fallout from a bizarre rumble on the racetrack. you're watching "early today." e without sacrificing results? try olay total effects for a 7-in-1 solution.

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>> as if motorbike racing isn't dangerous enough, fistfights too. >> that was crazy. that was wild stuff. we are waking up in the middle of the night late bit. thunderstorms tracking heading toward shreveport. enough lightning and thunder probably for the last 15, 20 minutes. we have a slight risk of severe storms later this afternoon towards this evening. hail is the biggest threat. watch out for that in alabama later today. when we come back, exercise and the environment. the fitness craze that could help your health and the earth. but some air fresheners use heavy, overwhelming scents. introducing febreze one; a new range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home to deliver a light, natural-smelling freshness. febreze one neutralizes stale, stuffy odors and releases a subtle hint of fragrance like bamboo or lemongrass ginger. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes, try new febreze one. brand power. helping you buy better.

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>> the miraculous shot keeps the hornets the playoff hunt beating the raptors 115-114. now to the new trend with the weird name. it's a mashup of jogging and environmentalism. nbc's steve patterson put on his running shoes to join in. >> reporter: by design, it's an exercise in interruption. the throes of a rapturous runner's high, or gentle jog, or brisk walk, all broken by the simple sight of a piece of trash. >> here to plod, which means you're going to be running, jogging, picking up trash. >> reporter: it's called blogging ablo plogging. job, stop, began garbage, and repeat. popularity is spreading across the globe. you can likely find a local plog squad for every day of the week. why would somebody do that a cl.

everyone should do cleanups. but they're not always encouraging to get you out. so if you're going to clean up, might as well exercise at the same time. >> reporter: for environmentally conscious arwen king, plogging is a family affair. >> i feel like there's no way i can do any harm by picking up pieces of garbage. so it's a way for me to feel good about myself even if it's on a small scale. >> reporter: so where does the word plogging come from? the root of it comes from the swedish word ploka, which means to pick. combine that with the word jogging and you got plogging. while it may not exactly be saving the world, ploggers say if you can do good and feel good in one fell swoop, we can all get down with a little garbage. steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. >> well, it is a win-win-win, for the environment and your body. >> exactly, a good workout.

after losing both eyes to glaucoma, one dog got help from a puppy, charlie, an 11-year-old golden retriever. he had to get his left eye removed in 2016. a year later he was reforced to remove his other eye, caughting him to go completely a pal t he him navigate the world, a 4-month-old puppy, maverick. maverick helps charlie walk, play, and eat. >> they are too cute together. the cherry blossom season officially arrived in tokyo last thursday and to help celebrate shake shack has released the cherry blossom shake in the u.s. shake shack has featured a similar drink at

attorney general barr releases his assessment of the mueller report. has the president been completely exonerate as the white house claims?

what will congress do next? will we ever see the full report? >> the conclusion raise more questions than answers given the fact that mueller uncovered evidence that in his own words does not exonerate the president. terrifying moment on this the high seas. a distress call goes out as rough seas turn furniture into projectiles. and the incredible aerial rescues that followed. s mar an more pain at the pump as gas prices rise another 16 cents in just the past twwe