the trifecta of news from the white house as we await the full release of the mueller report. will the irs release six years of president trump's taxes by the deadline? a shake up at homeland security as the secretary abruptly resigns. the father of a missing boy speaks out for the first time following a hoax by a man claiming to be timmothy. we'll take you inside the camp training the next generation of america's brave bravest -- firefighters. prices at the gas pump continue to rice. up 12 cents in the past two weeks. >> denied by turner. that's it.

the ladybears, seven years later are at the top of college basketball. >> an incredible finish as lady bears at baylor get their third championship. "early today" starts now. >> good morning, i'm marlie hall. >> i'm frances rivera. a shake up at the white house amid the battle over security. kristjen neilson is resigning. the president announced it over twitter as well as her interim replacement. tracie potts has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it was sudden but not a surprise. there had been tension between the two and developing overnight, first the rumors then the confirmation and then nielsen herself confirms she's

stepping down. days after standing with president trump at the border, homeland security secretary has resigned. >> reporter: frustration over the number of migrants crossing the border reportedly lead president trump to ask nielsen to leave. he tweeted the news adding border patrol is amazing. remacing nielsen is kevin who serves at border protection commissioner. >> there's nobody in charge there. who is running it out there. >> reporter: happening this week democrats wednesday deadline for the irs to turn over six years of president trump's tax

returns. >> that is not going to happen and they know it. >> going after his tax returns through a legislative action is moronic. >> the public has a right to know whether their president's interests are impacted using decisions he makes. >> reporter: two days of budget testimony from william barr. he's expected to be grild -- grilled about redacting parts of the mueller report. >> he said he has to by law. democrats said by law they're are allowed it see it and want to see it as soon as possible. the attorney general promised the report by the middle of april. >> thank you. after five days of captivity an american tourist is freed. sara m sara harmon has the latest. >> reporter: her days of being held are over.

the woman from orange county, california were ambushed during a game drive. the suspects used the cell phone to call her family and demand a half million dollar ransom. they are safe and in good health. rescued near the park's border with the democratic republic of the congo. a country consumed by rebel violence. the "new york times" reports the safari company paid a ransom for their release. nbc news has not independently verified this. u.s. government policy is never to pay ransom for hostages but it doesn't stop families organizations from doing so privately. secretary of state mike pompi poe defended the no pay policy. >> please remember any payment gives money so they can seize more and more people. we cannot accept that risk. you wouldn't ask that of us.

even a small payment. >> reporter: president trump welcomed their release with a tweet but offered no more details. e endicott and her driver are being interviewed about their ordeal. there's no word about those who kidnapped them. sara harmon, nbc news. after nearly eight years of searching and many false lase, the father of a missing boy is not giving up hope. james hopes a man's recent false claims about being his missing son will help bring his son's case more exposure. here is molly hunter. >> reporter: a renewed sense of hope and plea from a father. >> he is alive somewhere, i know he is. >> reporter: he spoke exclusively to nbc news after another false sighting since his son went missing in 2011. >> he's probably in the middle

of nowhere being home schooled someplace away from the media and tvs and new technology. >> reporter: last week, a man was found in kentucky telling officers his name was timmothy pitzen. according to a complaint, he wished he had a father like timmothy's, his father would keep drinking. >> get his face back out, a description of what he may look like. probably 145-150 pounds, between 5' 10" and 6'3". >> reporter: his mother picked him up from school early, they went to the zoo and water park before she took him to a motel and killed herself. >> i lost the whole family that day. >> she said timmothy is fine, you will not find him. that's not something his father can do.

>> when you give up hope, what should i do, declare him dead? >> reporter: molly hunter, nbc news. zbrmpblts. some middle schoolers are being hailed as hometown heros after they talked a suicidial woman off a bridge. the boys from the kepler school's volleyball team were jogging when they saw a woman hanging about to fall on to the tracks. the coach told them to distract her while the coach called 9-1-1. the coach is calling the incident devine intervention saying if it hadn't been for the boys on her team, she would have let go.

the ncaa women's basketball championship game was one for the ages. >> jackson, richards, brown, for the championship. it's jackson. for the lead! 3.9 left! >> we got the action for you. notre dame gets the chance to tie it up. she misses the first free throw. that seals the deal for baylor. the ladybears win the rematch. >> we just beat the defending national champions. that team is so good, so talented. you are going to see those guys play at the next level. and, um, wow! you know, i just, i'm emotional for a lot of reasons. >> if that wasn't enough heart pumping action for you, the men's championship is later tonight between the three seated texas tech raiders and virginia cavaliers. a wild fight. things got heated during a

cincinnati reds pittsburgh pirates game. >> they played quite a bit early morning. it's feisty. >> the reds players were unhappy that the pirates pitcher threw behind a batter. it got so intense, players like puig had to be restrained. you can expect plenty of fines handed out as early as today. another nba record from downtown houston. rockets broke the league's previous record in 26 threes they set themselves three days ago against the kings. houston cruised to an easy win, 149-113. bill karins is here with a stormy forecast. good morning. we have a storm plaguing the west coast yesterday into today. about 2 million people continue

under flood watch. the worst is the areas of coastal oregon. still got pretty heavy rain between eugene and portland. it will be with us throughout portions of the day. the heaviest totals in northern california and toward crater lake. saturated soil portland north ward toward seattle. some will be pushing north throughout the day today. we'll give you the week ahead forecast. the storm in the west coast now will be a blizzard this week. >> thank you. now, a lady that broke a record in the everglades at 17 feet long, researchers claim

this is the largest python captured in the natural preserve. she weighs 140 pounds, carrying 73 developing eggs. they are working to remove invasive snakes by tracking male pythons who led them to the breeding females. a consumer alert for parents concerning a product you may have in your home. a lion attacks his trainer. the trainer didn't blame the lion, next. to look at me now, you don't see psoriasis. you see clear skin. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪ i was covered. it was awful. but i didn't give up. i kept fighting. i got clear skin with cosentyx. 3 years and counting. clear skin can last. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you. cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx.

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for more information, visit saferproducts.gov. a pair of trousers is all that remains after a poacher was killed by an elephant and eaten by animals. he entered illegally to poach rhinos. the elephant attacked the man, then the accomplices carried the body to the road before leaving the park. lions mauled him. the four accomplices have been arrested and due in court. a circus act gone wrong, shocking a crowd of spectators. a lion attacks a trainer in the middle of the show in ukraine. it was caught on camera. warning, some of this footage may be disturbing. >> reporter: a circus show in eastern u crane took a terrifying turn when a star decided to go off script in a crowd filled with adults and young children in march. new video shows the moment this lion pounces on to the handler, biting down his arm, wrestling

him to the ground. spectators scream in horror. the 32-year-old manages to escape the grips of a large cat before it is herded out of the arena along with the other lions. he gets back on his feet. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the attack left deep scratches on his arm and shoulder. he doesn't blame the lion. he shows no fear while working with with them. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: peta responded writing, this is far from surprising. he calls the lions his children, trusting them more than people, despite the dangers. cathy park, nbc news. >> that trust, he's back on his feet with with a smile on his face. still ahead, how to have a sports car under 30 grand and

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>> hi. >> you came. >> yeah. you promised when winter came, you would tell your friends about me, about us. winter is here, john. >> it's not that simple. you are dead. >> you were dead, too. >> that was different and you know it. >> well done, well done. beware as you head out this morning. you may be in for sticker shock when you stop at the fuel pump. karen cho is here with details. good morning. >> good morning, drivers are paying more at the pump, you are not imagining it. a survey tallied up the cost. the price per gallon is up 12 cents now at $2.79 per gallon. when it comes to the cost, since mid january, prices climbed 47 cents. the reason, if you look at the price, it's at the highest level since november on the back of opec supply cuts. u.s. sanctions may be maintained, given the concerns. the jobs report and the demand side, which put appetite into the price. let's talk about cars. one thing in the cnbc review is pint sized perfection. the mazda miata costs $50,000.

increased horsepower from 151 to 181. a federally regulated back-up camera. the bmw2 is more expensive. you may need a second practical car with boot space, quieter on the highway and better suspension. i guess you can't have it all. >> thank you. just ahead, bill is tracking a major winter storm. when it comes to a wild day of weather in texas. the aftermath, next on "early today."

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we are all going for something more. and new special k protein has more, with 15 grams of protein plus extra nutrients to help that protein do more. special k. powering you. a storm barrelled through texas dropping golf ball sized hail. residents report a mix of thunder, rain and massive hail balls. this is video of hail pounding a backyard pool creating waves and large splashes. this shows fog, thunder and hail covering a field in texas. >> it is that time of year you get all those crazy storms, especially in that area.

the cars and everything, that's massive hail. we're watching areas of the west with the rain and snow threat, as we mentioned earlier. we'll watch this storm as we go throughout the week as it moves tuesday through the rockies and wednesday to the middle of the country. it will become a april snowstorm. watch out from wyoming all the way through areas of south dakota. still in the pacific northwest we're dealing with wet weather in the area. a little bit of snow in the highest elevation of the cascades. by friday, many areas of the west clear out. look what happens in southern california. an unusual storm system moves down through from san diego. >> a tough go. thank you. up next. turned firefighting into the hot new jobs for young women. you're watching "early today". e room smelling like sweaty odors. yup, he's gone noseblind.

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kurt cobain, the lead singer of the popular rock band nirvana is dead. he was a suicide at the age of 27. ♪ >> he was among the most powerful voices of his generation, originator of a music style and fashion called grunge. the lead singer for the huge rock group nirvana, which sold 15 million albums worldwide. >> on this day in 1994, curt cobain was found dead. he was just 27 years old. fire fighting has traditionally been male dominated. 7% of the 1.1 million

firefighters are women. times are exchanging thanks to a camp in california. >> reporter: climbing the ladder at the l.a. fire department wasn't easy. women make up less than 1% of the force. >> i would hear stuff from people on the street, even now, oh, they let dwrou that? >> likewise for sheila. >> because i was a female, i had to prove myself doubly hard. >> reporter: veterans look for a way to attract women to fire fighting and launch girl's fire camp to spark interest in young women and bridge a gender gap. >> they are out there. itis showing them, this is how you get there. >> reporter: the annual one-day camp serves girls from 14-19 giving them a chance to walk in the boots of firefighters who already blazed a trail.

they practice in 45 pounds of gear, use hoss and learn life and death challenges they face every day. >> rachel coalman, i'm 16 and this is what i want to do. >> reporter: this is her first time at the camp. >> everybody loves firefighters. it's always better to give back to your community rather than take. it's what i want to do. >> reporter: more inspired to serve, after meeting women living their dream, and hers. >> i don't have a dream or goal you can write down on a piece of paper. for me, the dream is that people feel welcome. >> never underestimate that girl power right there. >> they are doing it. here is an exciting day for the nbc news family. today is the day "today" with hoda and jenna will begin. there are plenty of surprises in store. watch a lot of dvr moments, i'm

sure, as we welcome this new day here at nbc. >> thanks for watching. i'm marlie hall. >> i'm frances rivera. our news continues here on your nbc stations.

late sunday evening, the secretary of homeland security abruptly resigns. why was the president so frustrated? and what does it mean for u.s. immigration policy? >> a shooting spree over the weekend in chicago, 24 shots in 30 hours, including three children under 13 years of age. >> freed, the american kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage five days while on safari in uganda has been released. did a ransom lead to her freedom? >> an investigation into three historically black churches that were set on fire in the same south louisiana parish in just ten days. >> in a thrilling final the