former nevada assembly woman lucy flores accused former vice-president joe biden of touching her inappropriately during a campaign event in 2014. >> breaking overnight, grammy nominated rapper nipsey hussle gunned down in what police believe may have been a gang-related shooting. >> a south carolina college senior mistakenly got into what she thought was her uber, only to be found dead hours later. police have a suspect in custody. >> there was a whole lot of shaking going down in ecuador during a 6.2 magnitude quake. >> plus, beware of all things bizarre today as we head into an april fools edition of "early today."

good morning. i'm marlie hall. >> good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. a case of the mistaken uber ride may have led to the death of a 21-year-old college student. friends and family said their final good-bye s to samantha josephson at the university of south carolina's campus. josephson was found dead after a night out with friends. police say she called an uber at around 2:00 a.m. after being separated from her roommates. she then hopped in the back of a chevy impala thinking it was her ride. at her vigil her father said he doesn't want anyone to experience the pain he feels. >> i've gone through this and i don't want anybody to ever go through this again. i can't tell you how painful this is. >> police have arrested nathaniel d. roland after finding blood in a car that matched josephson. he will be charged with kidnapping and murder. >> former vice-president joe bide cena apologizing after an allegation he merged that he inappropriately kissed a woman in 2014.

at the time lucy flores was the 2014 democratic nominee for nevada lieutenant governor. she says before a campaign event, mr. biden placed his hands on her shoulders, smelled her hair, and gave her an uncomfortable kiss on the back of the head. nbc's mike momoley has more. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. former vice-president joe biden hasn't announced his candidacy for 2020, but he's on the defense i. responding sunday to allegations of an inappropriate campaign encounter in 2014. in a statement, the vice-president says in my many years of on the campaign trail and in public life, i've offered countless hand shakes, hugs, expressions of comfort, and not once did i act inappropriately. if i did so, i will listen respectfully, but it was never my intention. the vice-president is responding to the claims of lucy flores, a nevada candidate for lieutenant governor in 2014. she says that at a campaign event just days before the election, the vice-president approached her from behind, put

his hands on her shoulder and kissed the back of her head making her feel embarrassed and confused. flores in an interview sunday herself also said that politics was the impetus for her coming forward at this time. if biden is to be a candidate, she feels this is an issue that needs to be discussed in the campaign. aides to the vice-president say at this point this is not affecting his plans. he intends to make an announcement as soon as the next few weeks. marlie? >> all right, mike, thank you. >> the white house is ready to move past the mueller report and look toward 2020. president trump is gearing up for another big push to build the border wall this week. with a trip planned to arizona, the white house is also doubling down on the president's threat to shutdown the u.s. border to mexico. nbc's hans nichols has more from d.c. >> reporter: good morning. it's year that president donald trump wants to use this week to focus on the border and those several kacaravans from el

salvador, central america and guatemala. it's almost as if he wants to pick a new fight and have mexico be the foil and not mueller. he's continuing to say this report has exonerated him, the mueller report, while hedging a little bit on whether or not he wants it released. but looking at the president's schedules, he's heading down to the border. he'll be down in the yuma, arizona, area later in the week. he wants to make the case that he has the authority to build the wall and crucially that he's already doing that, because that is what his base wants to hear. that's what the president campaigned on. that's what he ran on in the midterm elections, and that appears what he'll be running on in 2020. back to you. >> all right, hans nichols for us. hans, thank you. >> a shooting in los angeles is sending shock waves through the music industry and beyond. law enforcement sources confirm that rapper nipsey hussle was shot multiple times outside his clothing store, and pronounced

dead at a hospital. two other men were shot but survived. a suspect is still at large. a law enforcement source tells the l.a. times the shooting is probably gang-related, but they have not confirmed a motive. nipsey hussle's album was nominated for best album at the grammy awards. tributes have been pouring in. musician john legend said, i just spent thursday with him filming a video. he was so gifted. so proud of his home. director ava duvernay called the rapper bright and forward thinking. i'll remember the beauty he saw in our community. and steph curry of the golden state warriors said, just got to know you. rest in paradise. rapper nipsey hussle dead at age 33. >> it is the dawn of a new era in japan. the country has a new name for its new imperial era set to begin on may 1st. at a press conference japan's

chief cabinet secretary announced the new imperial era will be called rae wa. the new era name is one of the biggest changes practically and psychologically for japan and will be used widely on coins, calendars, newspapers, and an official paperwork. >> british prime minister theresa may is once again considering options. after her plan to withdraw from the european union was defeated for a third time last week. and parliament is set to debate more brexit possibilities today in the hopes of finalizing a deal. nbc's ali arouzi has this report. >> shame on you, shame on you. >> reporter: the political landscape in great britain is in a miss. never has politics and policy been so muddled in this country. the prime minister defeated, not once, not twice, but three times. >> the no's have it. >> reporter: still seems to be considering ways to bring her

withdrawal agreement back to parliament for a fourth vote. >> the best outcome is the prime minister's deal. but if that is not the favored outcome of parliament, then we would need to consider what parliament does want to do. at the moment what we've seen is what parliament doesn't want to do. >> reporter: mps will vote on alternatives on monday. a customs union with the e.u. thought to be the prime minister's most likely preferred option. >> this is beyond ridiculous. there is a clear proposal there that we negotiate a customs union with europe which will then protect the whole border in northern ireland. >> reporter: it comes with warnings. some senior brexiters have cautioned miss may against pursuing such a move, as they say it would betray brexit. as it stands, the new brexit day is the 12th of april. but patience is wearing thin on the continent. e.u. leaders question the logic of delaying brexit for much longer. they wonder if the u.k. will

ever unite around a brexit way forward. whether miss may is at the helm or anyone else. ali arouzi, nbc news, london. >> a girl was playing in her front yard when she got hit by a car. warning here, the surveillance video of the incident may be difficult to watch. she was outside playing in her front yard when all of a sudden a car plows right into her. police are searching for the driver who fled the scene as the family came rushing out in panic. >> the whole time driving to the emergency room, i had her head laying on my lap and i had my land on her chest to whole time to make sure she was still breathing, her heart was still beating. >> we'll have more on this later today on today including the full interview with the holmes family. in the meantime she is in the hospital recovering as police and their investigation heats up. >> a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of ecuador. and the scary moment was caught on camera.

this is security footage from the shoreline in santa elena when the quake shook on friday. the quake shook people on the street. you can seen ee one man falling. they reported at least two aftershocks. there were no reports of injuries or damage, but ecuador's president did tweet, the quakes were felt all over the country. >> all right. on the start of this week and the start of this month, the month of april, let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. how are we looking? >> chilly. tpts' chilly, raw, and the southeast probably has the ugly est weather in the country the next two days in a row. you can see the clouds in the satellite. red and areas of yellow heavy rain coming off the gulf. this is going to play out, turn into a big southeast storm. during the day today light rain and chilly and cool for florida standards. a lot of people on spring break won't like this for a for caste. tuesday it gets stronger. we watch the rain through areas of south carolina and georgia.

blue and pink, possibility of snow flakes in the higher terrain in the areas of north carolina as we go through tuesday. rainy day on tuesday, moving up along the mid-atlantic coast. traveling i-95 south wards, keep that in mind for your travels. ra kes and central plains. by southern standards, only 50s in april. very chilly in areas with sunshine. thankfully this week ahead will see warmer temperatures beginning to prevail. we'll talk about that coming up. >> that's more like it, especially with the chilly temperatures. >> an april fools start. >> thank you, bill. >> planet earth is down to a single blockbuster video store. the block buster in perth, australia, closed sunday leaving only one in bend, oregon. in 2010, the former king of movie rentals declared

bankruptcy. the bend store is locally owned and the owner says they have no plans to close any time soon. >> still ahead, the latest on the jussie smollett controversy, plus duke bows out as the final four take shape. but when i started seeing things, i didn't know what was happening... so i kept it in. he started believing things that weren't true. i knew something was wrong... but i didn't say a word. during the course of their disease around 50% of people with parkinson's may experience hallucinations or delusions. but now, doctors are prescribing nuplazid. the only fda approved medicine... proven to significantly reduce hallucinations and delusions related to parkinson's. don't take nuplazid if you are allergic to its ingredients. nuplazid can increase the risk of death in elderly people with dementia-related psychosis and is not for treating symptoms unrelated to parkinson's disease. nuplazid can cause changes in heart rhythm and should not be taken if you have certain abnormal heart rhythms or take other drugs that are known to cause changes in heart rhythm. tell your doctor about any changes in medicines you're taking.

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turns around. oh! bryce brown is smoking hot! >> he replaced him in the starting lineup. johnson off the inbounds. >> battling the midwest final. auburn forces kentucky into overtime. tigers' momentum too much for the number 2 wild cats. auburn makes it to their first-ever final four, 77-71. >> your final four match ups on saturday will be michigan state against texas tech, and then virginia take iguodala on auburn. >> leading the news after a wave of public back lar in the jussie smollett case, the prosecutor whose office dropped the charges against the "empire" star is defending her decision, publishing an op-ed in the chicago tribune. our steve patterson has the details. >> reporter: just days after her department dropped all charges against jussie smollett, chicago prosecutor kim foxx is firing back. defending her department's actions, saying in an op-ed in the chicago tribune, the decision not to prosecute smollett was the right one.

saying the case may not have been strong enough. for a variety of reasons including public statements made about the evidence in this case, my office believed the likelihood of securing a conviction was not certain. and arguing that prosecution should be reserved for threats to the community. saying, we must separate the people at whom we are angry from the people of whom we are afraid. foxx spoke to nbc news, arguing that low-level class 4 felonies like the charges against smollett are often handled the same way. >> we have people every day who have the same class of felony, same background, engaging in the same things that mr. smollett did. >> reporter: and arguing that dropping charges means nothing about smollett's innocence. saying he has not been exonerated. he has not been found innocent. others disagree. >> of course, to smollett it exonerates him. it doesn't really matter what the prosecutor's office thinks about the charges. they're dropped. >> reporter: all this while the city of chicago is demanding

that smollett pay $130,000 in restitution to cover the cost of the investigation. and the president is calling for a separate investigation by the justice department. >> all right. that was steve patterson reporting. >> and just ahead, george clooney, elton john, and others are boycotting some of the world's most luxurious hotels. plus, dumbo takes flight and soars to the top of the box office. stay with us. lobster: oh, you guys. there's a jet! oh...i needed this. no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on our car insurance with geico. we could have been doing this a long time ago. so, you guys staying at the hotel? yeah, we just got married. oh ho-ho! congratulations! thank you. yeah, i'm afraid of commitment... and being boiled alive. oh, shoot. believe it. geico could save you 15% or more on car insurance. that guy's the worst. smile dad. i take medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol. but they might not be enough to protect my heart. adding bayer aspirin can further reduce

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♪ ♪ disney's "dumbo" soared to the top of the box office this opening weekend bringing in an estimated $45 million. rlg jordan peele's "u-- 10 million short of 1 billion worldwide. >> another celebrity is standing up to the world's luxurious hotels. elton john is joining george clooney's boycott of the brunei wealth fund because of the oil rich country. nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: george clooney is using his star power to call for a boycott of nine luxury hotels, including the beverley hills hotel and hotel bel air, long-time play grounds for the rich and famous.

they're owned by an agency held by the sultan of brunei who will begin harsh laws for gay sex and adultery. clooney writes, are we going to help pay for these human rights violations? are we going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens? there were similar boycott calls when brunei announced it was adopting strict sheree a law. among those protesting, jay leno. >> what year is this, 1814? >> reporter: the nine hotels located across the globe are part of the dorchester collection which says, inclusion and diversity remain core beliefs as we do not tolerate any form of discrimination. clooney has been photographed at the hotels before and writes, full disclosure. i've stayed at many of them, a couple of them recently because i hadn't done my homework, a cause for which clooney has no reservations. joe fryer, nbc news. >> still ahead, bill has the weather for the week ahead. plus it is all in the family. meet the adorable baby who is

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receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to it or neupogen (filgrastim). an incomplete dose could increase infection risk. ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. if you'd rather be home, ask your doctor about neulasta onpro. pay no more than $5 per dose with copay card. in florida, a wildfire spreads rapidly fueled by debris from hurricane michael. it grew to at least 500 acres and forced several families to evacuate their homes. crews are struggling to reach the fire in a swampy area with many down trees just outside of panama sfi city. as of last update, the fire was

40% contained. >> bill is back with a look at our weather for the week ahead in the start of april. good morning. >> it is wildfire season. florida especially. we had a big one in new jersey this weekend, too. let's get into the forecast. we are getting rain in that area of florida that had the fire, so that's some great news for them. it's a cold start to april in the southeast. we see a nice warm up for many areas of the east coast. the middle of the week is going to be the best. we have a decent size storm come rg for friday. we watch the storm in the middle of the country with light rain. thursday areas in tennessee and the valley. the entire east coast is going to be rainy. there is potential it could be cold enough for snow in areas of the higher elevations, maybe the poconos, cat skills, adirondacks. could be an ugly end to the week. middle of the country is nice for the end of the week. looks like march, not april. >> bill, thank you. still ahead, don't get fooled again. it is that time of year where you can't trust anything you see online. the best april fools pranks. ♪

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talk about a family coming together, when a nebraska couple decided to try and have a baby, it was the grandmother who came to the rescue. nbc's tammy leitner explains. >> stay awake. >> reporter: for most couples, having a baby can be a challenge. but for elliohe elia and matthes cann unconventional process. >> i said i would love to be your gestational carrier. i would be a good candidate. they laughed. they're thinking, you're menopausal. >> reporter: doctors said the 61-year-old grandmother was the

perfect candidate to be a surrogate through ivf. >> i looked at my husband. well, i guess we're going for a ride. we're going forward. >> reporter: on monday she gave birth to uma louise dorothy ellidge. >> i felt my heart open. i knew in that moment it was all going to be great because i loved her so deeply. >> reporter: creating uma was truly a family affair. matthew's mother would carry the baby. elliott's sister donated the egg. and they used matthew's sperm. >> i knew that is what i wanted to do. i wanted to help them. i was excited for them. >> oh, yeah, are you sleepy? >> reporter: the new parents plan to tell uma all about it. >> we'll answer every question totally honestly. we'll have to explain to her some people have a mom and a dad. some people were created by their grandma. this is going to be her normal. >> reporter: family bonds that can't be broken. >> it was an act of creation, really a imaginative one. and for me, i think this is an

origin story of poetry. >> hey. >> reporter: tammy leitner, nbc news. >> these days families are formed in all different ways. you can't get any more unique than that. >> what a great close knit family. >> okay, time to let the shenanigans begin. it is april fools day. while you still may be getting your jokes and pranks together, some companies are going all out starting with google. the navigation google maps features a built-in game of snake. users can navigate different cities around the world creating an arcade game. there is a new screen cleaner tool that can wash away smudges and polish your screen. the files mascot will ricochet down your phone as if it were a tall building to remove fingerprints and other dirt. streaming device roku is pulling tricks announcing it has released the press pause remote. it's designed to make it easy for your dog to tune into their favorite tv entertainment. and soda stream has teamed up with astronaut scott kelly for a

new product that turns excess gas into sparkling water. so, don't get pranked today. there are going to be pranksters out there. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm marlie hall. thanks for w

breaking news. gunned down in cold blood. popular nippy hustle -- nipsey hussle killed outside his store. threats of closing down the southern border continue from president trump as poll numbers emerge about his job performance. a vigil is held overnight for a college student who was brutally murdered. police may have mistaken by got into a car she thought was her